Christmases Past
by tartlover18
Summary: Stephanie Plum doesn't have the best memories from Christmases past. Can a visitor change her Christmas luck and give her the life she's always wanted? Tart all the way! This is a complete one-shot


**Christmas Eve 2000**

Steph's POV

"Why me?" I heard for the millionth time. "Sarah Martinelli's mother doesn't have to deal with this. And do you know why?" She didn't even stop for my response, not that I had one. "It's because good Burg girls stay away from the Morelli boys and certainly don't get pregnant. And just when the gossips had started to slow down you lost the baby!"

She reached for the bottle at the back of the pantry again and I wiped my eyes. This whole thing was a nightmare. First Joe Morelli had sweet talked me out of my pants on the floor of the Tasty Pastry. Apparently he didn't have the presence of mind to use protection because I got knocked up. He must have thought that he needed to mark his territory because he wrote poems about me on the bathroom walls at Mario's Sub Shop before leaving for the Navy the next day. And then, three days ago, I miscarried. My mother on top of all of that was just too much to handle.

"Steph? Could you run to my house with me to get a few gifts that I forgot?" I heard my Grandma Mazur ask from across the room. She always had been my savior.

"Of course," I answered quietly, trying to pull myself together.

"Helen, Stephanie is going to help me with something!" she yelled through the house as we walked toward the door. We got in the car in silence and she started the car to warm up. "Are you okay, baby granddaughter?" she asked softly.

"I'm honestly not sure," I replied, starting to sniffle again. "I had just kind of made peace with being pregnant and then I lost the baby. It's a lot to adjust to. I am grateful that I won't forever be tied to Joe Morelli because we have a child together, though."

"I want you to look at me, Steph," she commanded, and my eyes shot up to meet hers. "None of this is your fault. Joe used a position of power and didn't care whether or not you consented. Then he didn't protect either of you. You did nothing to deserve that, and you did nothing to cause your miscarriage. Do you understand me?"

I nodded my head, unable to speak without sobbing. "I'm trying," I finally managed to squeak out.

"Good. Now, as for your mother, she's a horse's patoot and you need to ignore her. She sowed way more wild oats than you've ever even thought about. I'll handle her."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"Now, chin up! You'll show that Joseph Morelli that you're so much better off without him in your life. I have no doubt you'll get your revenge on him someday."

I can only hope she's right.

**Christmas Eve 2004**

Steph's POV

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, put away that textbook and get in here!" my mother yelled from the living room. I closed my Economics book and sighed as I walked into the kitchen as requested.

"Yes?" I asked when I was standing a few feet from her.

"You need to get in here where you belong and help me cook this meal! Why can't you be more like your sister, Valerie? She did what was expected and got married right out of high school and is a stay-at-home-mom. You, though? You spend all of your time with your nose in textbooks and think a college degree is more important than settling down and starting a family. You're not even dating anyone!"

"Enough!" I heard from the kitchen door, and I turned to see my daddy standing there. I walked over and hugged him tightly. He'd always been on my side.

"I've missed you, Daddy," I said softly.

"I've missed you, too, Pumpkin. I couldn't be more proud of you for following your dreams, though." He turned his attention toward my mom. "Helen, let's make it a peaceful Christmas Eve," he admonished. She huffed and puffed for a minute but then put on her nice face.

"Of course," she demurred. "Stephanie, would you please help me with dinner? You can peel the potatoes."

"Sure," I agreed, unwilling to break the temporary ceasefire.

My mother complained about my technique the entire time that I peeled and cut potatoes, insisting that I was going to have to really learn my way around the kitchen at some point. I did my best to tune her out and focus on not cutting any of my fingers off, which seemed to suit her fine if her droning on was any indication.

"So tell me," she suddenly said, "who's the special man in your life?"

I squeaked and looked up in surprise. "Special man?" I asked.

"Surely you've met someone at Rutgers," she prodded.

"No, I'm really just focused on school and work; I don't have much time for dating," I admitted. Truthfully, I was still jaded from the Joe Morelli situation and wasn't interested in becoming vulnerable to someone again. My hesitancy was only slightly helped by the fact that I'd jumped Big Blue over a curb and broke his leg when he was home on leave over the summer. I figured that was kind compared to what he really deserved.

"Well, you're not getting any younger, Stephanie. It's time for you to think about what you'd really like out of life. I'm sure you could meet quite a catch at college. There have to be future doctors and lawyers on campus; you should put yourself out there and see if you can find a nice husband. Surely someone will want you despite your past," she lectured me.

I sighed and continued helping with dinner prep to keep the peace. My reward that night was the silence at the dinner table and two pieces of pineapple upside down cake.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, I sat in the kitchen with a cup of hot cocoa and Christmas cookies. I hadn't taken my first bite yet when the kitchen door opened and my dad walked in.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"No, too much on my mind," I answered.

He got a glass of milk and sat down across from me. "Anything you want to talk about, Pumpkin?"

I chewed my bite and took a drink and then looked up at him. "Is Mom right? Am I wasting my time by going to college? Do I just need to settle down and get married?"

Dad sat his glass down heavily and frowned. "Your mother is stuck in her old ways of thinking. She can't see past the way she was raised, but women are worth far more than cooking, cleaning, and raising babies. You've never been like your mother and sister, and that's what I love about you. They're doing what makes them happy, but that life isn't what you want. Don't try to force yourself into their mold. You are destined for more," he encouraged me.

I sniffled and smiled at my dad. He was always the one to believe in me and encourage me. "Thank you, Daddy. I needed to hear that," I explained. "Sometimes it's hard not to cave to their nagging."

"I'm married to her, you don't have to tell me that," he chuckled. "Now, you'd better get to bed so Santa can come, young lady."

I laughed and got up to rinse out my cup. "Of course, I don't know what I was thinking. Night, Daddy."

"Night, Pumpkin."

**Christmas Eve 2005**

Steph's POV

"Stephanie, Dickie! Come in!" my mother greeted us on the porch. Her Burg radar was in top form; she was waiting for us when we pulled up.

"Helen, wonderful to see you again," Dickie answered as we walked up the steps. "You look lovely, as always."

"Oh, Dickie! You're such a charmer. He's quite a catch, isn't he, Steph?" she preened.

"Oh, yes," I answered quickly, trying to sound more confident than I seemed. I'd met Dickie in February and he'd pursued me relentlessly until I finally agreed to go out with him. He was in law school and had plans to go into politics with hopes to eventually run for governor. Between him and my mother, I was constantly being told what a great match we are and how much having me on his arm would help his political ambitions. I wasn't so sure, but he treated me well and my mom had been so much easier to get along with since we started dating.

We walked into the living room and my dad immediately stood and engulfed me in his arms. "Pumpkin, it's so good to see you." He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. "I hope you're doing well." I got the meaning behind that. It was no secret that he wasn't the biggest Dickie fan in the world. Actually, he didn't care for him at all. He said he wasn't trustworthy and didn't deserve me.

"I'm good, Daddy," I reassured him. Well, mostly good.

Dad just nodded in Dickie's direction and then sat back down in his recliner to watch the news.

"Come, sit down. I'll bring some coffee for us," my mom instructed.

Dickie led me over to the couch and pulled me down next to him, tucking me under his arm as he turned his attention toward my dad.

"So, Dad, how are things at the Lodge?" Dickie desperately wanted my dad to sponsor him for membership, but Dad was having nothing to do with it.

"Things are good," my dad answered evasively. It was kind of funny to see his attitude toward Dickie, and it certainly balanced out my mom's hero worship. "And the name's Frank, Dickie," he added.

"Of course, sir," Dickie gritted out. "Anything new on the cab route?"

"I have my regulars that I take care of consistently," Daddy answered.

"That's good. I don't think I'd be happy as a cab driver; I have the drive to achieve more."

My eyes snapped up and I elbowed Dickie in the ribs. He had no idea that there was much more to Dad than it seemed.

"Dickie!" I warned. He thought he was so much better than everyone else.

"I'm just making conversation, Sweetie," he brushed me off. He stood up from the couch and walked toward the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

At that moment the front door opened and my sister, Valerie, her husband, Steve, and her daughter, Angie walked in the door.

"Merry Christmas, everyone! Good grief, it's so cold here compared to California," she greeted us all.

Grandma and Grandpa Mazur were right behind her and the chaos erupted as everyone exchanged hugs and greetings and began to catch up. Valerie's belly was obviously swollen with baby number two. Steve looked tanned, fit and half drunk. He hugged me a little too close with his hands far lower than they should have been and held me far too long before finally releasing me.

Suddenly I heard someone tapping a glass and I looked up to see my mom and Dickie standing there together. She had a tray of champagne glasses sitting on the end table next to her and was smiling like a crazy woman.

Dickie cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him. He handed my mom his champagne flute and walked toward me with his hand in his pocket. He pulled something out of his pocket and got down on one knee and I swear my heart stopped. No. This couldn't be happening right now.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum," he began from bended knee in front of me, "you're the perfect woman to have by my side as I pursue my dreams and I have no doubt we can be very successful together. Marry me?"

I swallowed hard and my eyes were darting around the room. My dad was standing stock still and completely quiet. My sister was rushing over to hug me excitedly, and my mother was waving her hands around frantically.

"This is just so perfect!" she gushed. "We'll have the perfect Burg wedding next summer!"

"She hasn't said yes yet. You are saying yes, aren't you?" Valerie added.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to run.

"Of course she's saying yes!" my mother answered for me. "Congratulations, you two!"

Before I even know what was happening, the ring was on my finger, congratulations had been given, and my mother and sister were in the middle of planning my wedding for me. How did I get here?

**Christmas Eve 2006**

Steph's POV

"Do you think you can manage to take the roast out of the oven, or are you going to mess that up, too?" my mother snipped.

"Give it a rest, mother," I growled back as I walked toward the oven. "I think I've heard enough of your remarks." She hadn't stopped throwing my failed marriage and subsequent divorce in my face since it all went down seven weeks after Dickie and I got married.

I'd come home to find him buried in Joyce Barnhardt on my freshly-polished dining room table. I'd immediately thrown them both out of the house, burned his clothes on the lawn, and changed the locks. We had the messiest, most public divorce the Burg has ever seen and I ended up moving into an apartment near school to finish my senior year.

My dad and Grandpa and Grandma Mazur were all very proud of me and admitted that they were against the marriage from the start. My mother and Valerie, however, were beside themselves at the scandal and didn't miss an opportunity to express their disappointment.

"All I'm saying is that it's a woman's job to keep her man satisfied. Maybe if you'd done a better job he wouldn't have strayed," she asserted as I pulled the roast out.

"I'm not responsible for his lack of self-control or integrity," I shot back.

"Well, sometimes you have to just turn your back and turn a blind eye," she huffed.

I sat the roast down hard on the stove and threw the oven mitts across the room. "I'm sorry – are you saying I should have just ignored the fact that my husband was cheating on me and gone on my merry way? You really think that little of me?"

The kitchen door slammed open and my father stomped none-too-happily into the room.

"Helen Plum! I warned you that you were to keep your mouth shut if you couldn't be nice," he barked out.

"Frank, she's brought such disgrace to the whole family. Why me? Martha Scarsdale's mother doesn't have to hear how her daughter couldn't keep her husband satisfied."

I sniffled and wiped the tears from my face. I couldn't handle this anymore. "I think I'm just going to go home; you two enjoy Christmas Eve together," I whispered.

"No, I don't want to spend the evening here with your mother either. Come on, let's go enjoy a quiet dinner out together," my dad said. He threaded my arm through his and walked toward the kitchen door.

"Frank! You can't leave on Christmas Eve. What will the neighbors think?" my mother squeaked.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" Dad bellowed back.

He grabbed our coats and shuffled us out the front door before mom even knew what was happening. We found a little diner on Main that was still open and talked over burgers, pie, and coffee.

"What do you think you'll do after college?" my dad asked over the pumpkin pie.

"My business degree opens up a lot of possibilities. I think I'd like to stay close, but definitely not in the Burg. I have an internship with E.E. Martin next semester in Newark, so I might be able to work there after I finish my degree," I answered.

"I think Newark might be a good idea. It's close enough I can see you often, but far enough that your mother can't sink her hooks into you and try to turn you into a Burg wife again," he replied.

I snorted and almost spit my pie at him. "I assure you that there wasn't one moment of my weeks-long marriage that I was a Burg wife," I chuckled. "I think I'm more likely to win the lottery than to ever become the kind of wife that would make mom proud."

"Don't worry about making your mother proud. Make yourself proud and chase the life you want. And you know that your grandparents and I are always very proud of you, Pumpkin," he replied sweetly. No wonder I was such a daddy's girl.

"Thank you, Daddy. I'm trying," I promised him.

"Just make sure that you don't let what happened with Dickie cause you to close yourself off to people, okay?"

"I promise I won't."

**Christmas Eve 2007**

_Steph's POV_

"Stephanie, welcome home! Where's Shawn?" my mom asked. Shawn is my current…person I'm seeing on occasion. We've been hanging out for a few months, but something is just missing. He's a really nice guy, and on paper you'd think we'd be perfect for each other. We get along well, but there's no heat or passion between us. Everything is just…nice. We're not serious at all – in fact, we're not even really an item. My mother would probably cry herself to sleep if she knew he was also seeing someone else and I thought they were perfect together.

"I told you, Mom, we're not serious enough to spend Christmas together. He's back in in Newark with his family," I reminded her. We'd had this conversation several times.

"Well, a mother can hope, can't she?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Now, I have everything under control in the kitchen, but I thought you might like to decorate the cookies. I also have some more dough in the refrigerator for you to roll out and bake."

Yes, Helen Plum was being nice. She'd called a bit of a truce since I walked out last Christmas. Of course, she still pushed me to settle down with some nice man who could promptly turn me into a stay-at-home wife and mother, but she no longer berated me. She knew full well that baking and decorating Christmas sugar cookies was one of my favorite holiday pastimes.

"Sure, I'll go talk to Daddy for a few minutes and then I'll get to work," I agreed.

I walked into the living room to find my dad sitting in his recliner with the television off. He was deep in conversation with a gorgeous Latino man that made me feel the need to check my chin for drool. He had spiky blonde hair, honey-colored skin, and the most piercing green eyes I'd ever seen. He looked relaxed and comfortable in his own skin. His eyes sparkled with mischief and when he looked up at me and smiled, I caught a glimpse of the most gorgeous dimples I'd ever seen in my life.

"Pumpkin, it's so good to see you!" Daddy stood up and wrapped me in his arms for a tight hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Daddy," I answered as he released me from the hug and turned me to face the mystery man on the couch. Mystery man stood up and my-oh-my...he was indeed a stunning man. Tall, muscled but lean, dressed in dark jeans and a black shirt that showed every square inch of his toned upper body. He had a silver chain with a cross on it hanging around his neck. The whole package was enough to make my mouth run dry.

"Steph, this is Les. He's the son of one of my old Army buddies. When Juan told me that his son would be home alone for the holidays, I insisted that he spend them with us." He turned his attention toward Les then. "Les, this is my youngest and my pride and joy, Stephanie."

"It's lovely to meet you, Stephanie," Les offered in a deep, rumbly voice. He shook my hand and I swear I felt sparks.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Les," I answered. I'm just glad my mouth worked, and the absence of laughter around me told me I'd successfully refrained from speaking my thoughts out loud.

My mother had to butt in at that moment. "Steph, sweetie? The cookies?" she asked.

"Oh! Of course. I was just meeting Les," I rambled. I'd completely forgotten cookies in favor of the gorgeous man standing in front of me.

"Maybe Les would like to help you with the cookies," she offered, and I looked up apologetically.

"You really don't have to do that. I'm sure you would rather sit here and talk to Dad," I tried.

"I'll have you know I'm a champion cookie baker," he teased with a deep chuckle that made me weak in the knees.

"Is that so?" I shot back.

"You'll just have to wait and see."

We miraculously found ourselves alone in the kitchen, rolling and baking cookies and then decorating them with icing, sprinkles, and all forms of sugar. Les kept me laughing the entire time we were working as he told me all about his life and time in the military.

"Are you still in?" I asked curiously.

"I'm on contract for another year. I don't know if I'll be sent out before my time is up," he answered seriously.

"Would it be a year deployment?"

"No, I negotiated and am only called up for specific, short-term ops. No more than sixty days," explained Les.

"That's good. I can't imagine how hard it is for your family or girlfriend when you're deployed."

He laughed and shook his head. "Between me and my cousin, my family is pretty used to it. As for girlfriends, there's no one waiting at home," he admitted. And I'm woman enough to admit that I liked hearing that.

"Oh," I replied. Intelligent, huh?

He bumped my shoulder and nodded my way. "How about you? Anyone waiting at home?"

"Huh? Oh! No, there's no one waiting at home. Pathetic, huh?" I laughed.

"Only if I'm pathetic, too," he chuckled.

"You're definitely not pathetic!" I insisted. "Have you seen yourself?" My cheeks colored as I realized what I had said.

"I'd much rather look at you," he shot back as he wiggled his eyebrows. Officially embarrassed now.

"You just decorate your cookies!" I managed to reply before I was completely mortified.

We had a nice, quiet Christmas Eve dinner, just the four of us since Grandma and Grandpa Mazur had elected to spend the winter in Florida. My mother was actually personable to Les and seemed to really like him, which almost made me think I was in the Twilight Zone. He's definitely not Burg. My dad was more talkative with Les around as well. This was the first Christmas Eve at home with family that I could ever remember feeling truly content and happy.

After all the dishes were put away and we'd gone to bed I snuck down the stairs to the kitchen. A cookie and some milk seemed like a good way to attempt to fight my inability to sleep. I had just bit into my cookie when the kitchen door opened and Les walked in.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry to wake you. I just couldn't sleep," I explained.

"Me either. I worked last night and slept this morning so my body just isn't tired yet. Want to watch a movie?" he asked.

"Sure, that sounds nice," I agreed.

_Les's POV_

I was not a watching movies on the couch kind of guy. I was a putting the moves on someone on the couch kind of guy. But something about Stephanie Plum made me want to put on some Christmas movie and sit there with her for as long as possible. The minute I saw her I felt this instant connection that I'd never experienced in my life. I would get so much crap from my cousin if he saw me pulling a blanket out of a basket while Steph started a movie.

I sat down next to her on the couch and spread the blanket over the two of us sitting side by side. The opening credits for Elf came on and I laughed out loud.

"This your favorite Christmas movie?" I asked. I personally wasn't a fan of the classics, but this one never failed to make me laugh.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a Miracle on 34th Street kind of girl. I like movies that are light and funny," she explained.

"I couldn't agree more." I'd seen enough serious in my time in the military and working for RangeMan. Light and funny was good.

We laughed and joked through Buddy journeying from the North Pole to New York. We were quiet for just a few minutes when I felt her head hit my shoulder. She was asleep. I reached over and shifted her so that she could lean on me then put my arm around her. She looked so peaceful and unguarded as she dozed on me. I must have fallen asleep myself shortly after that because the next thing I knew I was waking up on the couch. I was laying on my side curled around Steph. Her head was on my shoulder and her curls were in my face and I instantly knew I wanted to wake up like this again.

I looked up to see Steph's parents looking at us and talking quietly and cleared my throat. "I'm so sorry, sir. We were watching a movie and we fell asleep," I offered. I respect Frank far too much to offend him by sleeping – literally – with his little girl.

"No need to apologize, son. Helen and I will just go work on breakfast while you two get up and going. Take your time." He was smirking as he walked away, and Helen was smiling and mumbling about answered prayers, whatever that meant.

Steph stirred in my arms and scooted even closer to me. I swear my heart of stone softened a little as she stretched and cuddled into me. I ran my hand through her hair and down her back.

"Steph, baby? We need to get up," I encouraged her.

"Don't want to. So comfy," she objected.

"Your parents are up. And saw us here." Maybe that would get her moving. Not that I particularly wanted to move right now either.

She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and before I could even think about it, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. Her breath hitched and then she kissed me as well. She made the sweetest little mewing sounds as she opened her mouth to me and I swear I almost lost it right there. Whatever was going on right here, I never wanted to let it go.

**Christmas Eve 2008**

_Steph's POV_

I bit my lip as I held the box in my hand. This could change everything. Life had been so crazy that I didn't realize until just now that my last period was almost two months ago. Leave it to me to lose track of even the simplest of things, huh?

I looked around the bedroom and smiled as I thought of Les. His last night at home we'd made love all night long, unable to part for even a minute before he had to leave. It would be his last deployment; his contract was officially up next month.

There were dried flowers in a vase on our dresser from our first date, just two days after we'd met last Christmas. It wouldn't have even been that long, but he had to pull a double to cover for some of the guys who were gone for the holidays. His pillow still smelled faintly of his unique scent, and the book he was reading prior to being called up was still on his nightstand. God, I missed him.

We'd seen each other every day after that first date. We were instantly exclusive and very serious. It was hilarious seeing the guys at RangeMan reacting to Les's news that he had a girlfriend. No one saw that coming from the self-proclaimed ladies' man. It may have been a surprise to those who knew him, but he fell into the role of doting boyfriend easily. He cared for me like no one else ever had. He challenged me and pushed me to be my best. He saw something in me that no one else did and helped me to try my hand at apprehension and bond research at RangeMan when E.E. Martin was closed down by the Feds. He bought a house in Trenton – outside of the Burg – and insisted that I move in as well when I began working full-time at RangeMan. And when he whispered to me in Spanish before he left, telling me how much he loved me and wouldn't rest until he was back home with me, I knew that we'd last forever.

The thought of forever turned my attention back to the box in my hand. There were four more just like it on the counter, two pregnancy tests in each one. Eight sticks to tell me if our lives were about to change forever. I wish I could know how he felt about potentially having a baby now.

I mustered up all the bravery I possibly could and peed into the little cup I'd brought up to the bedroom with me and then dipped the tests according to the instructions. Unable to watch them, I sat the timer for the longest time and then went into the bedroom to get dressed. It was Christmas Eve, and I was expected at my parents' house in just over an hour. I pulled on some skinny jeans, a pair of brown suede boots, and a maroon sweater of Les's. It was more like a dress on me than a sweater, but I needed him with me today. I put his dog tags under my shirt and then heard the timer go off. This was it – the moment of truth.

I walked slowly into the bathroom, wishing with everything that Les was here with me for this moment. And then I saw it. Eight tests. All positive. We're having a baby.

_Les's POV_

My handler had said this mission would be difficult, but even I couldn't have predicted just how grueling and exhausting it would be. But after thirty-eight days of fighting my way through hell, I was on my way home for the last time. And for the first time in my life, I really felt like I had a home to come back to.

I thought back to last Christmas and New Year's. Meeting Steph was the best thing that ever happened to me. She made me want a life outside of work and RangeMan. She showed me how to really live my life. As cheesy as it sounds, she completed me. I'd say that the guys back home would give me shit if they heard that, but they all know just how crazy I am about her. And you know what? Most of them were insanely jealous. But, they all respect us way too much to do anything but support us.

I watched the scenery go by as the cab sped off from the airport to the Burg and opened my duffle. Buried in the corner was a little blue box, and as far as I'm concerned I couldn't ask fast enough. I knew I wanted to marry her before I left and sent my cousin, Ric, out to get the ring I'd picked out. I wanted to have it for when I returned. I couldn't have known that it would be exactly a year after we met.

We pulled up at the curb and I threw money to the cabbie and then got out as quietly as possible. I put my duffle over my shoulder and the box in my pocket. Tonight was the night.

I snuck up to the front door as quietly as possible and was surprised when Frank opened the door when I got there.

"She and Helen are in the kitchen," he offered. "Welcome home, son."

He enveloped me in a huge hug and pulled me in the door.

"Thank you, Frank. It's good to be home to stay. Now, if you don't mind…" I trailed off.

"Go get her," he encouraged me.

I walked into the kitchen and I swear my heart nearly exploded when I saw her standing there. She was wearing my sweater and I could see the chain for my dog tags around her neck. Her curls were all crazy, just like I loved them, and she was absolutely glowing.

"Merry Christmas, baby," I said, interrupting the women's conversation.

Her eyes snapped up to meet mine and she ran at me, launching herself the last few feet. I dropped my bag and caught her in my arms. She wrapped her legs around me and kissed me, and all was right in my world.

"You're home!" she squealed in between kisses.

"I'm home to stay. I won't have to go again," I promised her.

"God, I missed you!"

I swung her around and laughed. "I missed you too, Steph."

Suddenly she jumped down and ran over to the trash can. She barely made it there in time before she got sick and I was instantly by her side. "Are you okay?" I asked. She'd been fine when I left. She didn't look like she was under the weather. I held her hair back and rubbed her back as she continued to get sick. She finally collapsed into the floor and I slid down next to her. "Do you need to go to the doctor?"

Her mom handed her some water and she rinsed her mouth out and then sat the cup down next to her. She shook her head no and leaned into me. "No, I'm fine," she tried to assure me. It didn't work, though.

"Steph, baby, what just happened means you're definitely not fine. How long has this been going on?"

She looked up at me and grimaced. "Since a couple of weeks after you left. It wasn't so bad at first, but it's gotten worse. I just figured it out today."

"Figured what out? What's wrong?" I asked in a panic. My mind was thinking all kinds of bad things.

She scooted into my lap with her parents standing right there watching and wrapped her arms around me. "I just found out today that we're having a baby. I'm pregnant, Les," she said quietly.

"You're…pregnant?" I asked, unsure that I'd heard her right.

"Yeah, I'm guessing somewhere around seven weeks or so," she replied. "I know we hadn't talked about starting a family so soon yet," she rambled and I cut her off with a kiss.

"I'm going to be a dad. We're having a baby." I repeated.

"I hope you're not upset," she said softly, her parents still standing there smiling at us. She must have told them before I got there because they didn't look at all surprised.

"I'm not upset at all, Steph. I'm thrilled. How are you handling it?" I asked.

"Well, other than the obvious puking I'm doing okay," she laughed. "I was a little surprised I hadn't realized it earlier. You're really okay with it?" she asked.

I slid her off my lap and knelt down in front of her on one knee.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, meeting you last Christmas Eve was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I thought I would have the surprise of the night, but you once again managed to one-up me. I knew before I left that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and hearing this news just makes it even better. Steph, baby, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?" I pulled the ring out of my pocket and opened the box for her to see.

She didn't even look at it. She launched herself at me, tears streaming down her face, and shook her head yes excitedly. "Of course I'll marry you!" she squealed.

"Yeah?"

"Hell yeah!"

I was wrong. Meeting her last Christmas was the second best Christmas gift I'd ever gotten. Steph accepting my marriage proposal and the news that we were having a baby were the best Christmas gifts I could ever receive.


End file.
